Schumer easily wins re-election

ALBANY -- Sen. Charles Schumer easily won a fourth term Tuesday against underdog candidate Wendy Long. With the win, the Democratic senator from Brooklyn may end up as one of the most powerful people in Washington if Democrats are able to take control of the Senate on Election Day.

He is poised to succeed Nevada Sen. Harry Reid as Senate Democratic leader come January -- but the question late Tuesday was whether that would be in the majority or the minority.

"Tonight I’m humbled by the trust that my fellow New Yorkers have continued to put in me to do that job -- to represent them in the United States Senate," Schumer said at a rally in Manhattan.

"And I promise this: I will work every day to be deserving of your trust."

Schumer also alluded to his possible ascension in the Senate.

"There’s a chance that I could become the majority leader of the United States Senate," he said. "But I promise you if I get that honor, I’ll be working for New York as hard as ever."

Long and a pair of third-party candidates were challenging Schumer, who was first elected in 1998.

The race was called by the Associated Press when the polls closed at 9 p.m.

The campaign was never in doubt.

Schumer led by 42 percentage points over Long, 67 percent to 25 percent, a poll from Siena College said Sunday. Long, a Manhattan attorney, ran for the U.S. Senate before: in 2012 against Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand.

Gillibrand beat Long with 72.2 percent of the statewide vote, besting a modern record Schumer set when he won his second term in 2004.

Schumer, 65, has never lost an election, and he was first elected to the state Assembly in 1974 at age 23. He then was elected to the U.S. House in 1980.

Long and Schumer had one debate on Oct. 30, where he boasted about being a fighter for the middle class.

Long, 56, countered that Schumer was beholden to special interests, such as big banks and drug companies. “I’m always there for New Yorkers, and if you give me the honor of re-electing me, I’ll work really hard for the middle class and those trying to get there," Schumer said.

Long said it was time for a change.

“Our country is going down,” Long said in an interview with the USA Today Network Albany Bureau last week. “I’ve enjoyed the benefits of this country, which has been very good to me. I believe in the idea of sacrifice and fighting for what’s right and giving something back to the country that’s given me so much.”

Schumer's campaign cash dwarfed Long's money, and he was able to pump millions of dollars into other races around the country.

He had $17 million in his warchest last month, while Long had just $154,000.

Two third-party candidates were also on the ballot: Green Party's Robin Laverne Wilson and Libertarian Alex Merced.